The Mountfield SP555 self-propelled53 cm (21″) petrol lawnmower is Mountfields top of the line petrol lawnmower and, together with the equivalent Honda models, is often the choice of professional contractors. And it’s not hard to see why – from it’s lightweight aluminium chassis (which has a 20 year anti-corrosion warranty) to its powerful Honda engine, easy to adjust height adjuster and large 70 litre grass bag this is one well engineered petrol lawnmower which will take years of abuse.

It’s powered by the extremely reliable but economical Honda GCV160 OHC (Over-Head Cam) 4-stroke engine fed by a 1.1 litre fuel tank so you won’t need to keep stopping to refuel. Starting was easy thanks to the use of a conventional choke and once the engine was warm it didn’t then need the choke again.

As it’s a self-propelled petrol lawnmower cutting large lawns is easy thanks to its wide 53 cm (21″) cutting width and four large chunky wheels. It’s designed to cut large lawns up to 55 square metres in size.

The powerful engine coupled with the aerodynamic design of the underside of the cutting deck means that the airflow into the grassbox is largely unimpeded. So much so that this petrol lawnmower managed to cram more cuttings in to a 70 litre grass bag than we have ever seen for a lawn mower of this size.

And we’re glad to say that the plastic and fabric grass bag is well made and up to the job of being crammed with grass cuttings. Given that it’s fairly heavy when full we were pleased to see that it was not only easy to remove but also to refit.

Of course, if you don’t want to collect the grass cuttings then the Mountfield SP555 offers two alternatives thanks to it’s 3-in-1 Combi system. You have the option to collect the grass cuttings, to discharge them to the rear of the mower or to mulch them so that they are recycled back into the lawn.

Our only complaint is that when we chose to discharge the cuttings to the rear it didn’t spread them out across the width of the mower but instead pushed them out to either side and left lines of cuttings on the lawn. That said, it’s not a major problem as we can’t think of many instances where you’d want to cut the grass without either collecting the cuttings or mulching them.

Even though it doesn’t have a rear roller, it left a really neat finish. If you want a striped lawn we suggest that you look elsewhere but if you don’t then the Mountfield SP555 will serve you well.

The cutting deck has 9 preset positions ranging between 30 mm to 80 mm which are adjusted by a single easy to use lever. The chassis runs on four chunky wheels and the large rear wheels large rear wheels made it particularly easy to manoeuvre around the garden.

Controls wise, all of them are mounted within easy reach of the top of the handle which has two height settings although in reality there’s not much difference between either of them (the highest setting is 98 cm above the ground). Adjusting the handle height was fiddly though as it had to be unscrewed. That said, it’s unlikely that you’ll change the height once you’ve found the best one for you so it’s not a big problem but it’s just not as easy as some of its competitors. The handle does, however, fold in half for storage.

If we had any complaints it’s that there’s no rear roller option and that the cutting deck wasn’t quite as easy to clean as some others but overall this is a well made lawn mower suited to large gardens where it’ll give many years service. Highly recommended.